Lady Echelon Leads Just Now Handicap 2013 Field

After a first-up win at the track a fortnight ago the Natalie McCall-trained Lady Echelon returns to Doomben Racecourse this weekend to go for two on the trot in the 2013 Just Now Handicap.

Last start stakes winner Lady Echelon looks the one to beat in the Just Now Handicap 2013 this weekend. Photo: Daniel Costello.

The four-year-old Top Echelon mare is one of 14 engaged in this year’s $80,000 Listed Coalscan Just Now Handicap (1350m) running on Saturday.

She heads the field too as the 58kg topweight drawn ideally in gate three with Timothy Bell to ride.

Bell retains the ride on the talented Sunshine Coast-based grey having ridden Lady Echelon for her first-up win here on November 30 in the Listed Travel Associates Classic (1200m).

That was on a Heavy (8) and there are storms on the card for Brisbane again this week.

A known mudlark having also won on a Heavy (9) over the mile at Eagle Farm in July before her break, Lady Echelon can handle a wet track.

What she might not be able to handle is the weight increase having carried only 55.5kg to victory last time out.

She has however carried 58.5kg to victory over 1400m at her home track earlier in the year so has the class.

The next heaviest weighted on 57kg are then Nuptse coming off two fourth place finishes in Brisbane last month and the out-of-form Choisir five-year-old Scorpio Queen drawn in barriers four and 12 respectively.

The last run from Bradbury’s Luck six-year-old Nuptse was behind Lady Echelon in the Travel Associates Classic.

They too are a known wet track performer with their other recent Heavy-track start being at Eagle Farm on July 10 where they won a Class 5 over 1000m before suffering a three month ban for a bleeding attack.

Along with Lady Echelon there are then three other last start winners in this year’s Just Now Handicap.

One of those is the Tony Gollan-trained Falvelon mare Miss Leibert drawn in gate two with apprentice hoop Priscilla Schmidt in the saddle but unable to claim a weight allowance.

Miss Leibert is after their third straight victory following back-to-back wins at Eagle Farm in November over 1400m.

The other last start winners looking to keep the form going on Saturday are then Anna Lizzie (barrier 11) coming off a Doomben mile victory from October and the Toby Edmonds-trained four-year-old Dolphus (barrier seven) who saluted as the $1.60 odds-on favourite at the Gold Coast just last Saturday.

Other notable hopes then include Chris Munce’s mount Divine City, Playtime racing first-up here and the Bryan Guy-trained Jacquetta coming off a second to Lady Echelon in the Travel Associates Classic.

Check out the fully Just Now Handicap 2013 field, barriers, jockeys and weights in the table below.

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